Concrete Angel
by Daughter of the Full Moon
Summary: During the summer after Voldemort's return, Vernon abuses Harry, finally killing the boy at midnight on July 31st. The next morning, Sirius and Remus go to Privet Drive to check on Harry, only to find his body stuffed into the cupboard under the stairs. WARNING! MIGHT PROVOKE TEARS FROM MORE EMOTIONAL READERS!
1. Prologue: Concrete Angel

**Concrete Angel **  
**By: MWPP-Marauders-Forever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Sirius and Remus would not have died, and Harry would have been raised by them instead of the Dursleys. **

**Prologue: Concrete Angel**

_He goes to school with the lunch he's packed _  
_Nobody knows what he's holding back _  
_Forced to wear the same clothes each day, or else _  
_He hides his bruises with potions and spells._

_The teachers wonder, but they never ask _  
_It's so hard to see his pain behind that mask _  
_Bearing the burden of a secret storm _  
_Sometimes he wishes he was never born._

_Through the wind and the rain, he stands hard as a stone in a world that he can't rise above _  
_But his dreams give him wings and he flies to a place where he's loved._  
_Concrete Angel._

_As he cries in the middle of the night _  
_The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights _  
_A fragile soul caught in the hands of Fate _  
_When morning comes, it'll be too late._

_Through the wind and the rain, he stands hard as a stone in a world that he can't rise above _  
_But his dreams give him wings and he flies to a place where he's loved._  
_Concrete Angel._

_A statue stands in a shaded place _  
_An angel boy with an upturned face _  
_His name is written on the polished rock _  
_His broken heart, the world quickly forgot._

_Through the wind and the rain, he stands hard as a stone in a world that he can't rise above_  
_But his dreams give him wings and he flies to a place where he's loved._  
_Concrete Angel._

**Author's Note: Okay, this is just the prologue.**  
**The actual story will begin in the next chapter**.


	2. The Nightmare Begins

**Chapter One: The Nightmare Begins**

Vernon's car pulled into the driveway and it's four occupants got out, Harry grabbing his trunk and Hedwig's cage, before slowly making his way inside the house. As he closed the front door behind him, the 14-year-old was sent crashing to the floor by a large, meaty fist making contact with the side of his head. Black spots danced in his vision as the teenager gingerly got to his feet, and moved over to the cupboard under the stairs, stowing his trunk inside. His invisibility cloak, wand, photo album, and the Marauders' Map were safely hidden in his pockets, Hermione having cast a Shrinking spell on them before the trio had disembarked from the school train. She had also charmed them so that all Harry had to do to remove said spell was to tap each object with his finger and whisper "_Dopey Dudley_".

Harry had just closed the cupboard door when Vernon punched him again, this time in the stomach.  
Gasping for breath, the raven-haired boy was dragged to his feet and pinned against the wall.  
"Now you listen here, Freak!" Vernon hissed furiously, punctuating each word with a sharp jab in Harry's ribcage.  
"Things are going to be different in this house from now on.  
That freak Headmaster of yours wrote and told me all about how you killed that boy last week."

Harry's eyes grew wide.  
Uncle Vernon knew about Cedric?  
Vernon, however, took no notice of the look on Harry's face and continued with his speech.

"If you do anything to hurt my family in any way, I will make sure that it is the last thing you ever do.  
Starting tomorrow, you will get up at six every morning and weed the garden.  
I expect breakfast to be on the table by seven, and the rest of the day spent doing your chores.  
Is that understood?"

Harry groaned mentally. "Yes, Uncle Vernon," the teenager muttered.  
"Good!" Vernon smirked in satisfaction.  
"Now go to your room and not a sound, boy, or you will regret it."

Nodding reluctantly, Harry turned and headed upstairs with Hedwig's cage.  
Closing his bedroom door behind him, he took the four objects out of his pocket and murmured "_Dopey Dudley_," before carefully hiding them in the small space beneath the loose floorboard under his bed.

Sighing in frustration, the teenager put Hedwig's cage on his dresser and flopped onto the bed.  
It was going to be a _long_ summer.

**Author's Note: To all those who, like me, live in the United States, Happy Independence Day!**  
**At least you all probably got to see the fireworks!**  
**My dad decided to skip that this year!**  
**(growls in annoyance)**  
**And to my grandma on my Dad's side, Happy 69th birthday!**  
**I love you, Granny B!**  
**I would send you a cake, but, unfortunately, I don't know how to bake, yet.**  
**Not to mention that it would probably be ruined by the time it got to your place.**


	3. Happy Birthday, Freak!

**Chapter Two: Happy Birthday, Freak!**

It had been two months since Harry had arrived at Privet Drive.  
The morning after his arrival, Harry had woken to find Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley happily burning the contents of Harry's trunk in the backyard.  
When they'd finished, Harry was given an impossibly long list of chores that he had to complete by sunset, or he wouldn't get any dinner.

Of course, by the time sunset came, Harry still had eight chores left on his list.  
Vernon wasn't happy and dragged Harry upstairs where the 14-year-old was brutally beaten for his failure to complete his chores in the required time.

That was how the rest of the summer played out.  
Every morning, Harry was given a list of chores to complete by the end of the day.  
If, by some miracle, he did manage to finish in time, he got a small sandwich composed of two slices of cheese on bread and half a glass of water for supper.  
If not, which was what usually happened, he was beaten into unconsciousness by his uncle.  
Hedwig had been killed by Vernon two weeks into Harry's stay, despite the boy's desperate pleas and protests.

Now, at 11:40 pm on July 30th, Harry lay on his bed, nursing his numerous injuries and staring at the repaired alarm clock on his nightstand.  
Only twenty minutes to go until he was officially 15-years-old.

Suddenly, the 14-year-old heard his uncle's heavy footsteps coming toward his door before the doorknob jiggled and turned, the door instantly swinging open.  
Vernon stood motionless in the doorway for a few seconds, before stomping toward Harry's bed and grabbing the boy by his throat, shaking him furiously.  
"YOU PATHETIC LITTLE FREAK!" Vernon roared, his breath reeking of alcohol and sweat.  
YOU WORTHLESS, UNGRATEFUL BRAT!"  
He shook Harry again.  
"WE TOOK YOU IN WHEN YOU WERE A BABY, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US?  
BY MAKING ME LOSE MY JOB?"  
His meaty fist slammed into Harry's nose, sending blood spurting everywhere.  
"WELL THIS IS IT, BOY!  
I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR FREAKY ABNORMALITY! YOU ARE NEVER GOING BACK TO THAT FREAKY SCHOOL OF YOURS, BOY!"

Harry rolled his eyes.  
"And how exactly do you plan to stop me, _dearest_ Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked sarcastically.  
Vernon smirked at the teen and leaned forward so that his face was barely an inch away from Harry's own.  
"How do you expect to go back, boy, if you're dead?" he sneered.  
Harry's eyes widened in terror before he made a break for the door, Vernon grabbing the boy's left arm and flinging him back against the bed.

The clock now read 11:45 pm.  
Fifteen minutes left until July 31st.

Vernon quickly began punching and kicking Harry with everything he had.  
Five minutes into the beating, he left the room briefly, returning with Dudley's baseball bat and bringing it down on Harry's chest, breaking several ribs.  
He swung the bat again and again at different parts of Harry's body until Harry was barely conscious.

The clock read 11:59 pm.  
One minute to go.

Vernon dropped the bat and wrapped his meaty hands around Harry's throat, squeezing tightly.  
The 14-year-old let out a strangled gasp and struggled furiously, his eyes bulging as he tried fruitlessly to loosen his uncle's grip.  
Soon, however, the teenager began to grow weary, his desperate struggles slowly weakening.

Ten seconds left.  
Black spots were appearing in Harry's vision.

Five seconds.  
He was so tired...

Three...two...one...

Harry's eyes drifted shut and his body suddenly went limp in Vernon's grasp as the clock hit 12:00 am.  
Dropping the motionless teen onto the floor where he lay facedown, Vernon bent down and placed two fat fingers to the boy's neck.  
No pulse.  
The freak was dead.

Smirking smugly to himself, he grabbed his nephew's arm and dragged the teenager's lifeless body downstairs.  
Opening the door to the cupboard under the stairs, Vernon threw the dead boy inside and closed the door, locking it securely.  
As he started upstairs to bed, he paused at the foot of the staircase.  
"_Happy Birthday, Freak!_" Vernon whispered.


	4. Of Canines and Grief

**Chapter Three: Of Canines and Grief**

It was 4:30 am on the morning of July 31st, and Sirius and Remus were sitting in the dusty kitchen of Number 12 Privet Drive when the dying fire flared brightly and Albus Dumbledore's head appeared in the now emerald flames.  
"Albus!" Remus exclaimed, hurrying forward.  
"What is it, what's wrong?" the werewolf asked urgently, noticing that the Headmaster's usually calm face looked strained and worried.

"The wards around Number 4 Privet Drive have fallen," Dumbledore began.  
"HARRY!" Sirius jumped to his feet, his gray eyes burning wildly with barely-restrained panic.  
"What happened? Is he okay? How..."  
"Silencio!" Remus muttered, sighing in relief as Sirius's frantic babbling was instantly cut off.  
"Continue, Professor."

Dumbledore sighed.  
"As I was saying, the wards around Number 4 Privet Drive have fallen, and I was wondering if you and Sirius could go check on Harry and bring him here."  
"Of course, headmaster!" Remus replied, while Sirius, who was still silenced, could do little more than nod, which he did instantly, glaring over at Remus, who pretended not to notice.

Remus made his way toward the kitchen door and was about to step through it when Sirius tapped on the wall impatiently with his fist.  
Turning, the werewolf saw Sirius glaring at him while pointing to his lips and mouthing "Help!"  
Shaking with suppressed laughter, Remus canceled the spell and walked to the front door, Sirius running to catch up.

Opening the door, Sirius walked down the front steps and transformed into Padfoot.  
Remus, following half a step behind the animagus, wound his hand tightly in Padfoot's ruff and disapparated.

The two marauders reappeared with a earsplitting crack on the front lawn of Number 4 Privet Drive.  
Releasing Padfoot's fur, Remus headed to the door and unlocked it with a whispered "Alohomora," then silently slipped inside.  
Sirius, still disguised as Padfoot, instantly began sniffing the air and trotting through the hall toward the stairs, stopping at the door of a small cupboard in the side of the staircase and transforming back to human form.  
"Harry's scent is strongest here!" the animagus said quietly, motioning for Remus to come over.

Remus's eyes's narrowed as he took in the lock on the door.  
"If they have him locked in there..." the werewolf growled dangerously, muttering another "Alohomora" and watching in satisfaction as the lock opened with a loud click.  
Reaching a hand toward the door, Remus was just about to open it when heavy footsteps behind him made him stop.

"Hold it right there, freak!" a large beefy man who could only be Vernon Dursley snarled menacingly, brandishing a baseball bat.  
"Expelliarmus!" Remus said quietly, causing the baseball bat to fly out of Vernon's hand and then putting the fat muggle in a Full Body-Bind, before turning his attention back to the cupboard and giving Sirius a slight nod.  
Sirius grabbed the knob on the cupboard door and pulled it open.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they did, it only took half a second for Sirius to spot the bruised and battered form of his godson lying facedown in a small pool of blood.  
"Harry!" the animagus gasped, quickly pulling the motionless teenager out of the cramped space and rolling him onto his back.  
"Lumos!" Remus muttered and the two men gasped at the sight of Harry's broken and bloodied body.

Moving his lit wand slightly downward, Remus eyes flashed angrily at the sight of the dark bruises on Harry's neck, livid purple against the ghastly pale skin.  
Suddenly, the werewolf paled and turned to Sirius.  
"Padfoot, he's not breathing!" Remus hissed in a panicked whisper.

Sirius's eyes widened in fear and the animagus quickly pressed two fingers to the side of Harry's neck.  
There was no heartbeat.

Sirius let out a scream of anguish and clutched Harry's still body tightly to his chest as he broke down sobbing uncontrollably.  
"He's dead, Moony! The bastard murdered him!" the animagus choked out tearfully, rocking the teenager back and forth as his tears hit the messy black hair.

Remus let out an enraged growl, his eyes glowing golden with fury as Moony forced his way to the surface of Remus's mind.  
His wolf was howling in rage and Remus could only make out the words "bastard" and "killed cub, must pay!"  
He agreed completely.  
That bastard Dursley had murdered his cub and for that, Remus would make damn sure that the man paid with his life.

Remus stalked toward Vernon and canceled the spell, only to grab the beefy muggle by the throat with one hand and slam him bodily against the wall as his other hand began repeatedly punching every part of Vernon that it could reach on its own.  
"You killed him!" the werewolf hissed murderously.  
"You bastard, how dare you kill Harry!"  
Vernon opened his mouth.  
"Silence!" Remus snarled.  
"You murdered my cub, Dursley, and for that, you will die!"  
Vernon whimpered silently, but Remus didn't care, he was too angry.

Sirius walked over, having laid Harry's body gently on the carpeted floor.  
"I think you need a little lesson in pain before you die, but just so you can't get us caught with your screams..."  
Sirius erected a soundproof bubble around the three of them, before pointing his wand at Vernon."  
"Crucio!" the animagus muttered.

Instantly, Vernon's face contorted in agony, his mouth open in tortured screams as his body convulsed, jerking and twitching uncontrollably.  
After about five minutes, Sirius lifted the curse, leaving the fat muggle trembling uncontrollably on the floor as tears of pain and terror ran down his face.  
"That was for all the years of hell that you put my godson through ever since he was a baby!" the animagus snarled venomously.

Remus turned to Sirius.  
"Mr. Moony requests Mr. Padfoot's permission to murder the stupid tub of lard who dared kill Moony's cub!"  
"Mr. Padfoot says, 'Permission granted', and requests that Mr. Moony make said tub of lard bleed."  
"Mr. Moony says, 'Of course' and asks if he may start now?"  
"Mr. Padfoot says 'Go right ahead' but begs Mr. Moony not to do anything illegal."  
"Mr. Moony is deeply offended that Mr. Padfoot would even think that of Mr. Moony, and adds that Mr. Moony was just going to cast 'Sectumsempra' on the bastard, then slit his throat with 'Diffindo'!"  
"Mr. Padfoot thinks that is a splendid idea!"  
With that, Remus aimed his wand at Vernon and quietly incanted "Sectumsempra!"

Instantly deep gashes appeared all over Vernon's body and Remus smirked.  
Pointing his wand directly underneath the heavily bleeding muggle's chin, the werewolf muttered "Diffindo," watching in satisfaction as a huge gaping hole opened in Vernon's throat.  
Vernon only had enough time to let out a weak gurgle before his eyes rolled back into his head and he stopped breathing.

Spitting on Vernon's corpse, Remus conjured a floating stretcher.  
Sirius carefully placed an arm under his godson's shoulders and another arm beneath his knees and carried him over to the stretcher, gently laying the dead boy onto the firm surface and draping his limp form with a thin sheet from an upstairs closet, letting out a strangled sob as he brought the sheet up to cover Harry's slack and unmoving face.  
Remus conjured a pillow and lovingly tucked it underneath his cub's head before summoning a towel from the bathroom and placing it over Harry's cloth-draped corpse.  
"Portus," the werewolf muttered, before he and Sirius each gripped one end of the towel.  
Three seconds later, there was a tug at their navels before they were pulled forward into a haze of swirling colors.


	5. Back At Grimmauld Place

**Chapter Four: Back At Grimmauld Place**

Sirius collapsed to his knees in the drawing room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, letting out a howl of anguish as he dissolved into a fresh wave of tears.  
He felt a tentative hand on his arm and glanced up to see Remus kneeling beside him, tears streaming down the werewolf's face and his amber eyes filled with pain.  
"Padfoot..." Remus choked out.

Sirius just stared at him for a few seconds before lunging forward and grabbing his friend in a tight embrace, sobbing unrestrainedly into the werewolf's shoulder.  
The stretcher containing Harry's cloth-covered body was forgotten as the two distraught men clung to each other, their bodies heaving with deep, wracking sobs of agony and loss.

Suddenly, the front door closed and Dumbledore's voice drifted in from the hallway.  
"Sirius? Remus?"  
Sirius furiously scrubbed at his tear-stained face and made to stand up, but Remus grabbed his arm, eyes flashing in warning.  
"You stay here with Harry, Padfoot. You're in no shape to handle Dumbledore. Let me deal with him." the werewolf whispered.  
More tears making their way down his cheeks at the mention of Harry's name, Sirius nodded reluctantly and moved over to the couch.

Sighing sadly, Remus levitated Harry's still form off of the stretcher and into Sirius's arms, his eyes tearing up as the sobbing animagus clutched the dead boy to his chest, rocking back and forth and heartbrokenly murmuring his godson's name under his breath.  
It didn't look like his friend would ever recover from this.  
And the werewolf wasn't sure that he could, either.

**Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up, and how short it is.**  
**I've been having a bad case of Writer's Block.**  
**Coming up in the next chapter, which should be much longer, is Remmy's confrontation with Dumbles.  
****(shudders)**  
**Beware the pissed-off werewolf!**


End file.
